A policy and charging rules function (PCRF), or policy engine, at its most basic level, is a server that deploys a set of operator-created business rules in a communications network. These rules can be used to define how broadband network resources should be allocated to subscribers and applications and under what conditions. The PCRF is a policy decision point that may be centrally located in the network and communicates with access edge devices (e.g., policy enforcement points), applications, and operational support systems/business support systems (OSS/BSS) platforms to manage subscriber and network information according to the established rules. Policy rules encompass the business and technological rules that govern which network services a subscriber can access, at what bandwidth level, when, and for how long. Generally speaking, the PCRF queries, coordinates, and adjusts all of the network resources needed to provide the required services to individual, authorized subscribers. As such, the PCRF operates solely in the control plane and does not operate in the data plane. More specifically, the PCRF identifies appropriate policy rules by querying a subscription profile repository (SPR) and enforces them by sending them to, for example, a policy charging enforcement function (PCEF).
Currently, users of network services cannot control the policy rules that are applied to their communications. Instead, these rules may be determined by the network operator based on factors such as the time of day and the location of the user (e.g., home or visited network). Additionally, many application service providers, such as those providing online interactive video games, may rely on high quality network access to provide a high quality application experience. This may be especially true for some subscribers more than other subscribers, such as users who may log many hours per week with an online application service as compared with users who may log fewer hours with those same services. It may be desirable to allow network operators to partner with application service providers in order to allow users to control the policy rules to be applied to their network communications.
Accordingly, in light of these difficulties, a need exists for improved methods, systems, and computer readable media for providing interactive user controlled policy.